


...And the Call of the Wild

by angellwings



Series: ...And the Possibilities [5]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Season/Series 02, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Magic, Romance, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:57:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5116424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Library continues to recover from the sudden reappearance of Vivien and the team begins to investigate a new case involving a missing former Guardian. Jenkins's past and present start to collide and he has to decide whether or not to share a long kept secret with The Librarians and their Guardian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cold Open: Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry this has taken me so long to post! I moved into my own place in late September and I've been trying to settle into a rhythm ever since. I think I've finally found one and my motivation to start the next story in this Universe! Enjoy!

 

Jake and Ezekiel returned from checking on Cassandra the morning following the Vivien incident and she was still sound asleep. Jake would have stayed all night if Ezekiel and Jenkins hadn’t talked him into at least going home to shower and change. He ended up laying down on his bed for a moment and falling asleep for several hours.

“How is she?” Baird asked as she handed Jacob a to go cup full of black coffee.

“Sleeping,” Jacob muttered. “No telling when she’ll wake up.”

“Vivien didn’t have control as long this time,” Ezekiel pointed out. “She should need less sleep this time around. I would think.”

“But the spell Vivien performed is not an easy spell,” Jenkins advised them from his podium on the other end of the room. “She would have needed to tap into Cassandra’s magic as well as her own. The length of time may not be relevant in this instance.”

“That’s encouraging,” Jacob said with a sigh.

“It’ll be okay, Stone,” Baird said reassuringly. “We’d rather her get all the rest she needs now than suffer the consequences later. She’ll be up and around before you know it.”

He scratched the back of his neck and avoided their gazes as he nodded wordlessly. He didn’t seem convinced, but what more could anyone say?

The Back Door suddenly began to glow and shake and rumble and the four of them turned to face it.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Stone exclaimed. “I thought Vivien took care of this? Who the hell could this possibly be?”

Eve’s hand rested on the gun on her hip, Ezekiel edged his way closer to the exit but remembered not to hide, Jenkins sighed tiredly and shook his head, and Jake grabbed the closest thing he could find. Which turned out to be a lasso, oddly enough. Why did the Annex have a lasso? He shook his thoughts away and focused on the door again. A strong wind blew the door open and leaves blew in with it. Jacob knew this because one smacked him in the face.

Two figures appeared through the wind and the light. They skidded to a stop in the Annex and then immediately turned to shut the doors.

“A little help, please?!” A familiar voice yelled.

“Flynn?” Baird asked with a start as she took her hand off of her gun and rushed to help push the doors closed. Ezekiel and Jake quickly joined them and that’s when Jake realized who Flynn had with him.

“Natsuki?” Ezekiel asked before Jake could voice it himself. “Creepy Fox lady?”

She rolled her eyes at him and glared. “ _Kitsune_. I’m a Kitsune.”

“Yeah, okay,” He said with a smirk. Jacob got the feeling he knew that, but preferred to play dumb to irritate her.

The thief was gonna irritate the wrong person someday and get himself in some real trouble. Jacob just hoped he was around to see it. Ezekiel’s glance drifted away from Natsuki’s face and his eyes widened when they reached her arm.

“What happened to you?” He asked as he pointed to the large gushing scratch on her arm.

Natsuki winced and then cradled her arm closer to her. “My sister happened.”

“Okay,” Eve said as she took Natsuki’s other arm and steered her toward the first aid supplies she kept in her desk. “What did we miss?” She pointed to Flynn and gave him a stern glare. “And what happened to that ‘harmless’ case you told me you were on, huh?”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey! I _was_ on a harmless case! It’s not my fault that Foxy and Loxy decided to take sibling rivalry a bit too far in roughly the same location as my investigation!”

Eve gave him a doubtful look and then opened up the first aid kit to pull out her roll of gauze. She then began to clean Natsuki’s wound. “What happened?” She asked other woman.

“I wish I knew,” Natsuki said with an emotional gulp. “I’ve been looking for Sakura for two weeks. We split up to hunt a nogitsune and then she dropped off the face of the earth. I talked the phone company into tracking her phone and telling me where she was a couple of days ago. I was asking around and I was pointed toward those woods. The minute I got there she attacked me. She wouldn’t talk to me. She just snarled and glared. It—it wasn’t like her at all!”

“Nogitsune possession?” Jake asked her worriedly.

Natsuki shook her head. “No. This was different. She was still Sakura. But she was all instinct! She was—“

“Feral,” Flynn finished for her. “No other word for it. Wild. Less human than when we saw her in Owayne.”

“What did you do to piss her off?” Ezekiel asked Natsuki.

Natsuki huffed and then winced as Eve started to stitch up the scratch. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t know what’s going on with her. Something must have happened after she fell off the map.”

“And you didn’t call us because?” Jenkins asked seriously as he began flipping through a specific drawer on the card catalogue. “You knew Sakura would never vanish without warning.”

“I didn’t think I needed help,” she muttered with a huff. “Sakura wouldn’t need help.”

“The Lady Sakura is more experienced with these matters than you,” Jenkins told her with a scolding look. “It takes time to be as competent as she is.”

“Hey! I’m nearly 300 years old! That’s not exactly young, you know!” Natsuki said indignantly.

Jenkins scoffed and then smirked at her. “It is to me. It is to _her_.”

Natsuki rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, I get it. I’m stupid and young. But I’m here now. I’m asking for help _now_. Isn’t that what’s important?”

“Wait, you’re 300 years old?” Ezekiel asked with a horrified expression.

“ _Nearly_ 300\. My birthdays in two months,” she corrected him.

“O-kay,” he said slowly with a furrowed brow.

Jacob bit back a chuckle at the shocked looked on the younger man’s face. He remembered how he reacted to Mabel’s age during the Collins Falls case and Mabel was young compared to Natsuki.

Silence fell over the room as Eve continued to stitch Natsuki up and Jenkins pulled several cards and books. The silence was only interrupted by a wince from Natsuki every few minutes. Once she was done Eve wrapped Natsuki’s arm with gauze to keep it clean. Jenkins emerged from the stacks again with even more books and placed them on the main research table.

“Flynn,” Jenkins asked as he pointed to the Head Librarian. “What were you investigating?”

“Reports of house pets vanishing in the middle of the night. Nearly a whole town full of them,” he answered.

“And Sakura seemed animal like, did she?” He asked Natsuki.

“Yes,” she said with a worried sigh.

“It would seem to me that the two events may be, in fact, related,” Jenkins told them as he motioned to the books he’d pulled. “I took the liberty of pulling information on any artifact that may have the ability to control nature or animals in any way. We will research these items to narrow the list down even further.”

Ezekiel grimaced and huffed. “Ugh, research.”

“Yes, Mr. Jones, research. Grab a book,” Jenkins told him with a tired sigh. “You are a Librarian after all.”

“Yes, but not an _actual_ librarian,” Ezekiel said with a scoff as he picked up a book. “This job is supposed to be about adventure. Not…moldy old books. None of these books are even in English! I can’t read these! I mean, this one’s in Japanese!”

“Oh!” Natsuki said as she took it out of his hand. “I’ll take that one. Thank you. I’m useless with the Romance Languages.”

“Why are none of these books in English?” Ezekiel asked in irritation. Jacob looked up and shrugged with a smirk. Ezekiel glared at him. “Yeah, of course you don’t care. You speak every language in existence.”

“Not every language,” Stone said with a grin. “My Urdu’s a little rusty.”

“Sometimes I really despise you,” Ezekiel said with a sigh.

Jacob chuckled and nodded. “Feeling’s mutual, Jones.”

Jenkins gave Ezekiel a frustrated glance and then shoved a book with a French title in his hand before he spoke. “You’ve got one of those inteilliphones—“

“ _Smart_ phones,” Ezekiel interrupted him.

“Yes, yes, that. Surely it has something you can use to help you translate,” Jenkins said with a shake of his head. “Now let’s go! Tempus fugit! A former Guardian is in need of our help!”

Four of the six people in the room froze and looked up at him with bewildered expressions.

“What?”

“Guardian?”

“Excuse me?”

Ezekiel chuckled at the three simultaneous responses of his colleagues and then put the French book back on the table as he sat down and propped up his feet. “Now, this is a story I have to hear.”


	2. Act 01: Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The list of possible artifacts is narrowed down to three.

 

_“Now this is a story I have to hear.”_

“What’s a story you have to hear?” A tired voice asked from behind the group.

Jake was up and across the room quicker than anyone expected and Cassandra smiled softly at him as he approached.

“You’re up,” He said happily.

She nodded. “All better.”

Jake’s smiled turned into a stern thin line and he quirked a brow at her. “I’m not so sure about _that_.”

“Jacob,” Cassandra said with a sigh and an understanding smile. “I’m fine. I promise.” She then turned a bright smile to the rest of the room. “I want to hear this story. What did I miss? Why is Natsuki here?” Cassandra waved at Natsuki excitedly and then sat down in her regular chair. Jake remained standing for a moment and watched her carefully. Finally, she huffed and turned to face him in exasperation. She patted his chair impatiently. “You can relax, you know. Vivien is done for now.”

“For now?” Baird asked worriedly. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Me either,” Jake mumbled as he reluctantly sat down.

“Can we move on, please?” Cassandra asked. “We can talk about it later. What’s been happening?”

“Sakura’s gone crazy—“

Natsuki growled at Ezekiel and he cut off his own sentence.

“Let me finish,” he told Natsuki with a smirk. “We’re researching artifacts that could control animals to save her and apparently she’s a former Guardian.”

“She was a Guardian?” Cassandra asked with wide bright eyes. “That’s so cool! Who was her Librarian?”

“Excellent question, Cassandra,” Flynn said as he turned an interested gaze on Jenkins. “Which Librarian did Sakura work with? I can’t believe no one ever told me we’d once had a Kitsune as a Guardian! That’s something I feel like I should know.”

“We have work to do,” Jenkins said with a huff. “We have no time for stories. I want it narrowed down to at least three items in the next half hour.”

Jenkins grabbed a book off the table and then marched into his lab.

“He could at least _pretend_ not to avoid the question,” Ezekiel said with an amused grin.

The room dissolved into alternating talk about Jenkins and what they were each researching. Natsuki snuck away while they were distracted. She found Jenkins in his lab pouring over a catalogue of mythological items and their various effects on the world. She leaned against his work table and cleared her throat to get his attention.

He jumped slightly and then glared at her. “I realize one of the many assets of your kind is how swift you are, but please try not to sneak up on me. Will you?”

“Why haven’t you told them?” Natsuki asked curiously.

“Told them what?” He asked as he feigned innocence.

“No way, don’t play that with me. It may have been over a century since we saw you last but I know too much. Sakura regales me with stories of the glory days all the time,” Natsuki told him. “I wasn’t there but I know. I _know_ you were a Librarian. So why don’t they?”

“What is the point in talking about the past?” He asked her irritably. “It will not change it and it is not relevant to the current situation. Or do you wish them to be _distracted_ from saving your sister?”

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. “Of course not. But they seem to respect you so much. I just thought…I thought you might share it with them. But it’s none of my business.”

“No, it is not,” he told her.

“These Librarians,” Natsuki said as she glanced back at the door to the lab worriedly. “They’re good at what they do right? Because my sister’s life sort of depends on them. And I can’t…she’s all I have. We have to get her back.”  Natsuki gripped the work table as she spoke and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

Jenkins gave the woman a sympathetic look and reached across the table to pat her hand. “Do not tell them I said this but…they’re the best of the best. They’ll come through for you _and_ Sakura. Trust them.”

“Easier said than done,” She admitted with a sigh. “It’s just been me and Sakura for so long. I feel like I can’t do this without her. I mean she’s the one who—she’s better at this than me. She’s more knowledgeable and experienced—“

“Despite what I said earlier, Natsuki, I do not believe that’s true,” Jenkins told her. “You’re very capable of standing on your own two feet.”

Natsuki scoffed. “If Sakura were here instead of me, she would have figured it out by now.”

“Magical Pipe of Hamelin!” Flynn exclaimed as he strolled into the lab and interrupted them. “It can control animals and people. It’s possible it could control hybrids of both.”

Jenkins nodded his agreement. “And it is not currently in the Library’s inventory.” He turned toward his blackboard and wrote out Flynn’s suggestion. “There’s one. Any other ideas floating around out there?”

Cassandra entered not long after Flynn with Jacob following close behind and she placed an open copy of a textbook on Greek Mythology in front of him. “The Pipes of Pan.”

“Ah, yes,” Jenkins said with a nod. “Once in our inventory but stolen during the Brotherhood’s raid. Very possible. And should that be our artifact it would be easy to locate.” He scribbled Cassandra’s suggestion next to Flynn’s. 

“Why’s that again?” Jake asked with a furrowed brow.

“Displays of nature’s wrath. Between Cassandra, Flynn, and myself we could easily track and calculate weather and disaster patterns,” Jenkins reminded him.

Cassandra’s eyes lit up and she clapped happily. “Oh, I love weather patterns! Crossing my fingers!”

Natsuki blinked at her and then chuckled. “Wow, I have never in my life crossed my fingers in the _hopes_ of doing math.”

Cassandra giggled and shrugged. “What can I say? I’m good at it.”

Jake snorted and smirked at her. “Just good at it?”

“Okay, I’m exceptional at it,” Cassandra said with a smirk. “I just don’t like to brag….often.”

“Jenkins, didn’t you once suggest Aesop’s Lyre to us?” Eve asked as she and Ezekiel wondered into the lab.

“Ah! Yes! I did! Excellent suggestion, Colonel Baird. Aesop’s Lyre could in fact be a factor in our current situation,” Jenkins agreed before he turned, once again, and wrote the possibility on the board. “Three strong candidates.” He then turned to Natsuki with a sigh. “All of which mean you cannot be in the field.”

Her brow furrowed and she glared at him. “No! No way! This is my sister! I’m helping! You’re not benching me on this one.”

“He’s right, though,” Eve added. “It’s too much of a risk. We can’t have whatever this is turning you against us too.”

Natsuki’s jaw clenched and she huffed. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. “I refuse to stay behind. She’s my sister and _for once_ she needs me! I plan to be there for her. No matter what.”

“Natsuki,” Jenkins said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I understand wanting to contribute but—“

“Not to interrupt, Mr. Jenkins,” Cassandra said hesitantly with a small hand raise. “But don’t we have the Ring of Dispell in the Library now? Flynn and Colonel Baird retrieved it, didn’t they?”

“Yes, we did,” Flynn said with confused face.

“The Ring of Dispell makes the wearer immune to all spells, curses, and enchantments. Couldn’t we loan Natsuki the ring? She wouldn’t be turned against us if she were wearing the ring and then she could help out,” Cassandra suggested as she smiled encouragingly at Natsuki. “Couldn’t she?”

“Oh yes! I will wear whatever jewelry you want if it will get me into the field,” Natsuki told them with an eager nod. “Please?” She turned a pleading look on Jenkins who sighed tiredly and gave an expectant look at The Head Librarian.

“This would be Mr. Carsen’s call,” Jenkins said as he deferred to the younger man.

Flynn gave Jenkins a slight glare. Eve had tensed and crossed her arms over chest. A clear sign that she was against the idea but both Cassandra and Natsuki were giving him hopeful pleading looks. He had no good choices here. But then…there were three artifacts remaining and only five people currently ready to go out in the field. Four, if Cassandra got the pushback from Jacob and Eve that the Head Librarian anticipated. They could use another body to help them search.

“I don’t see why not,” Flynn said after a long moment. He couldn’t resist Cassandra’s pleading eyes if he tried. “We could use the extra set of eyes anyway.”

Natsuki shot Cassandra a grateful look and Cassandra shrugged as if to tell her it wasn’t a big deal.

Baird chose that moment to add her thoughts on the current case. “Fine, but Cassandra stays here.”

Cassandra froze and turned a glare on Colonel Baird. “ _What?”_ She turned to look at Jacob for help but he pointedly avoided her gaze and studied the floor of Jenkins’s lab. Cassandra huffed and rolled her eyes at him. “You can’t do that! I’m fine! I’m all rested up! Vivien said all I needed was rest. Well, I got it. There’s nothing wrong with me. I can help!”

“Cassandra, you can still help. Just from the Annex with Jenkins,” Baird said with an apologetic glance.

“This is ridiculous! I thought that once I got rid of the tumor everyone would stop treating me like I was so fragile! But apparently I was wrong,” Cassandra said angrily. “I’m not going to break. I can do this.”

“Why exactly is she being kept out of the field?” Natsuki asked curiously.

“I was recently possessed by the Lady of the Lake and they’re all afraid she’s going to randomly take over again if I’m out in the field in a high stress situation,” Cassandra said with a sigh. “Even though Jenkins and myself have told them that Vivien is drained. She will not be able to take control again for a very long time, and even then she would need _my permission_. I am fine to work and I refuse to be left here! I’m a Librarian too, you know!”

“Here or there, it’s still gonna be high stress for her,” Natsuki said with a furrowed brow as she turned to face Eve. “Either she’ll be here worried about all of you or she’ll be there contributing to finding the artifact. Besides, isn’t it better to have the girl who can calculate weather patterns in her head _out in the field_? I mean one of our three artifacts may cause natural disasters. That makes her a resource we should use, doesn’t it? Isn’t that what your experience with strategy tells you, Colonel Baird?”

Eve’s face became impassive and her mouth set in a thin line. She shifted her weight as she gave Natsuki a considering glance. Cassandra beamed at Natsuki and then turned a proud smile on Eve. The logic of Natsuki’s argument was hard to dispute. Cassandra was definitely an asset to fieldwork. They all knew it.

Eve sighed and then nodded reluctantly. “Fine. I suppose you have a point. But we research our artifacts in pairs and if anyone needs to leave the Annex to investigate you clear it with me or Flynn first. Clear?”

The three Junior Librarians and Natsuki nodded in response.

“So, how are we splitting up?” Jacob asked The Guardian.

She tensed and then looked between the five people in the room. That was an excellent question. On one hand, she feared Flynn would get out of control or distracted while researching and chasing down their artifact. But on the other, the Junior Librarians were less experienced. They’d gotten better at handling themselves in a fight but sending them out without her still worried her.

Natsuki raised her hand to get Eve’s attention. “I’m well trained in hand to hand. I can also handle a blade. You could send me with one of the LiTs. That would free you up to work with The Librarian.”

Did she trust Natsuki enough to take care of one of her charges? Did she have a choice? The answer to the latter was definitely no.

Eve took a deep nervous breath and then nodded. “Alright, Stone and Cassandra, Pipes of Pan. Go.” They both nodded and exchanged awkward glances before they headed toward the door for the Main Library. Cassandra was obviously still upset with Stone for not siding with her. “Ezekiel and Natsuki, Magical Pipes of Hamelin. Flynn and I will take Aesop’s Lyre.”

“I will go retrieve the Ring of Dispell from the Library,” Jenkins offered. “You’ll need it sooner rather than later, I’d imagine.”

“Thank you, Jenkins,” Eve told him before she sighed in exasperation. She turned to Flynn and with a glare. “You just had to agree to put this girl in the field, didn’t you? You couldn’t resist Cassandra’s doe eyes.”

“I—oh like you can?” Flynn asked her with a challenging tone.

“Yes, I can actually,” Eve said with a roll of her eyes. “We’ve only worked with Natsuki one time. How do I know I can trust her with my Trainees?”

“Considering the Library’s bringing you a new Guardian soon, I’d say you’d better start. You can’t be with them all the time, Eve,” Flynn told her gently. “You can’t keep doing double the work forever.”

She watched Ezekiel and Natsuki head into the Library nervously before Flynn came over and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back.

“Baby steps,” he told her as he placed a quick kiss on her temple. “We did graduate them after all.”

“Yeah, why did we do that again?”

He chuckled at her and then gave her a sympathetic smile. “I believe, Guardian, _you_ told me they were ready.”

“They may be, but I’m starting to realize that… _I’m not_.”


	3. Act 02: Big Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pairs complete the research on their assigned artifacts and some other issues surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like Natsuki because I am having so much fun with her right now. Also, I had the idea for this version of the Pipes last year...before they started showing up in promos. Please keep that in mind. Thank you! Enjoy!  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

“So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing?” Natsuki asked Ezekiel as they searched through the stacks of the main Library.

“Looking for more information on the Magical Pipe of Hamelin,” Ezekiel said with a sigh. “Boring stuff.”

“Magical Pipe of…What is that again?” She asked him as they walked.

“The pipe played by the Pied Piper that lured all the rats out of town and then all the children when the town refused to pay the Piper,” Ezekiel told her. “That’s where the expression comes from, you know. To ‘pay the piper’?”

She blinked at him in surprise. “You just sounded like The Librarian.”

He stopped and his eyes widened. “Oh God, I did didn’t I?”

She chuckled at him. “You don’t exactly seem like the type,” she told him honestly. “I mean, no offense, but I’ve met a lot of Librarians over the last 299 years and you are pretty much the complete opposite of them.”

“Yeah, well, in the past few months I’ve met several immortals and supernatural beings and you aren’t like any of _them_ either,” he told her with a smirk as he motioned to her outfit. “None of them have worn _that_.”

She looked down at her combat boots, cargo skinny jeans, and black leather bomber jacket and then back up at him with a knowing grin. “I’ve always been a bit of black sheep.”

He gave her a brief serious glance as if he wanted to say something else but quickly looked down at the note in his hand. “According to Jenkins, what we need should be right here.” He turned to face one of the seemingly unending shelves and scanned the book spines.

“I thought Librarians did a lot of running,” she said with a bored huff. “I mean we did last time.”

“Last time was more your job than ours,” he reminded her. “Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that this job is equal parts research and running.”

“My job is a lot punching and kicking. And dodging projectiles. And, you know, containing evil spirits,” she said as he began to pull books and hand them to her. “We know everything we need to know typically. How do you guys find anything in here?”

Ezekiel chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t. Jenkins does. Flynn does too. I can’t find anything in this place. Unless it’s an artifact. I can find those. But books? I’m totally lost.”

He took the last few books and then led her to a nearby work table.

“What are we looking for in these books?” She asked as she set them down and scanned the titles.

“Symptoms of the Pipe being used. Anything that would indicate someone’s using it or anything that would eliminate it,” he told her.

“Thrilling,” she said sarcastically.

They looked through the books in silence for a few minutes before Natsuki huffed and slammed her book closed.

“This is a waste of time,” she said irritably. “I should be out there searching for her.” She threw the book down on the table with a loud thud and then began to pace next to the table. Ezekiel looked up from his book and watched her curiously. “She would never sit around and research if I were in trouble. Of course, if this situation were reversed I wouldn’t have been in trouble at all because Sakura would have stopped whatever this was before it happened. Because she’s perfect. And I’m…”

She froze as she remembered she wasn’t alone and gave Ezekiel a hesitant glance.

“The screw up?” He asked reluctantly. “You think you’re the screw up? Am I right?”

“Well, let me put it this way, I’m here begging for help instead of busting down doors and doing everything it takes to find her,” Natsuki said as she crossed her arms over chest and leaned against one of the shelves. “She always covers my ass. I mess up, she makes it work. That’s how this goes. This time it’s on me. What if this all goes bad because I’m not ready to repay the favor?”

Ezekiel nodded in understanding and then stood up to join her by the shelf she was leaning against. “Before this place. Before The Library…I worked solo. Never really wanted to be a part of team. I thought I could handle anything on my own. It took me a while, but eventually I realized…asking for help isn’t a weakness,” he told her. “Especially, if it isn’t easy for you to do. And seeking help actually _is_ doing something. Sometimes, you need people who see more of the picture than you. And that’s what we’re here for, to help you see the big picture. Besides, she’s your sister right?” He asked. Natsuki nodded thoughtfully. “You’d do anything to keep her safe, wouldn’t you?” She nodded again before he continued. “Then you’ll be fine. Somebody recently helped me realize that caring about people actually _helps_ in these situations. You clearly care about her so I have no doubt you’ll get her back.”

“I wish I was as confident as you seem to be,” she said with a sigh.

He scoffed and smirked at her. “No one’s ever as confident as I seem to be.”

Her tortured expression lightened for a minute as she chuckled at him and shook her head. He felt a little bit of pride at brightening her mood. Even if it was only for a moment. As quickly as she’d brightened it was gone again and she stepped away from him to go back to the work table. He tried not to sigh as the moment passed and hoped he’d actually helped. It was hard to tell with her.

She cleared her throat as he sat down across from her again and then gave him a sheepish smile. “Hey, Jones?”

“Yeah?” He asked in response.

“Thanks,” she told him briefly.

He nodded with a small grin but said nothing. There was a lingering moment that he couldn’t seem to describe before they both went back to their research.

Well, he thought, that was different.

* * *

 

“The last reports of Aesop’s Lyre were where?” Flynn asked as Eve and Jenkins flipped through various books and journals.

“Illinois, 2004,” Eve said as she read off of an article she found. “A professor researching dialect translations of the fables had, what was considered to be, a nervous breakdown and claimed animals were seeking him out to speak with him. Students claimed to see him around campus with a, quote, u-shaped harp.”

Jenkins nodded from his podium. “He and the Lyre both vanished without a trace.”

“That was ten years ago,” Flynn said with a sigh. “Would the lyre be able to turn someone into more of a beast, though? Yes, it can make animals seem more human, but would it work the other way around?”

“I wouldn’t dismiss it,” Jenkins told him. “There’s no precedence for it but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”

“Precedence would be helpful though,” Eve said with a huff. “So would having some trace of it passed 2004. But I’ve come to learn that the information available in this job isn’t always helpful.”

Jenkins smirked slightly and nodded in agreement.

The went back to reading, to try and find more clues. When suddenly Jenkins looked up from the monitor he’d been watching.

“It’s not the Lyre,” He announced firmly.

Eve and Flynn looked curiously in his direction and Jenkins responded by pointing to the monitor he was watching. They gathered behind him.

“Weather radar?” Flynn asked.

“You ran into Natsuki and Sakura here,” Jenkins said as he pointed to particular portion of Georgia. “Half an hour ago, there was no storm anywhere near Georgia,” Jenkins told him. “Suddenly, there’s a massive thunderstorm brewing.”

“Signs of Nature’s Wrath,” Flynn said with a nod. “Of course.”

“The Lyre would not result in a thunderstorm,” Jenkins reminded him.

“No, but we know what would,” Flynn said just before the Clippings Book rattled on the other side of the room. “The Pipes of Pan.”

“Looks like we’re finally getting some help,” Eve said as she crossed the room and stood in front of the book. “It’s a flyer for a circus. Looks like it stopped in Valdosta, Georgia.”

“Just a few miles from the storm. A circus, of course. What better place to practice control over animals?” Flynn said with a quirked brow.

“Is that what they do?” Eve asked. “Control animals?”

“Yes,” Flynn told her. “Similar to the Magical Pipe of Hamelin that Ezekiel and Natsuki are researching. But the Pipes have the ability to inspire aggression as well as submission. Used properly the Pipes have their purpose, but in the wrong hands you could raise a wild and vicious army.”

“Just what we need,” Eve said sarcastically before she turned to Jenkins. “Okay, we’ll go check it out first. Let the others know to research The Pipes of Pan. We need to know how to reverse whatever control it has over Sakura.”

Jenkins nodded. “Of course.”

“Let’s go, Librarian,” Eve said with a grin as she motioned to the back door. “Dial it up.”

Flynn dialed up Valdosta, Georgia and Guardian and Librarian stepped through immediately after. Eyes peeled for danger or signs of their target artifact.

* * *

 

Since splitting off to research The Pipes of Pan, Cassandra had barely said two words to him. He was reading up on the myths and the first hand accounts of the Pipes the Library had while Cassandra reviewed weather maps and current Doppler readings. She had the idea of trying to get ahead of any weather anomalies that might result from someone using the Pipes. She wasn’t happy with him. That much was clear.  He hadn’t stuck up for her in front of Baird.

He shut the book he’d been reading when he couldn't take the silence any longer. “Cassie.”

“Quiet,” she said in a snippy tone. “I’m doing math.”

“We need to talk about this.”

“Talk about what?” She asked. “How you obviously don’t want me out in the field anymore? Or how you totally didn’t have my back in there? Natsuki had to be the one to say something. _Natsuki_. She barely knows me and you’re my—“ She stopped and sighed. “We have work to do, Jacob. This is not the time.”

“I love working with you, you know that,” he told her as he slid his chair closer to hers. “It had nothing to do with that. And I couldn’t stand up to Baird because I…well I don’t disagree with her.”

Her jaw clenched and she turned to face him with a glare. The heat in that glare was like nothing he’d ever seen from her before.

“High stress is not what brought on Vivien’s possession!” She yelled at him with frustration on her face. She stood from her chair and began to pace next to him. She kept her glare focused on the floor as she vented at him. “Vivien knew the threat better than we did. Vivien had the control to get us all through it safely. I _let_ her take over because of that.  Yes, Jacob, she asked for my permission and I said yes. You and Jenkins and Ezekiel were all at risk. Not to mention, the entire world if Dulaque had gotten that staff. I made a decision. _Me_. I had a choice in it! Vivien told you that. Yet, everyone here seems to think she just steam rolled me in the heat of the moment. Like _I_ was too weak to fend her off. And I can’t decide what’s more offensive: the both of you assuming it’s your job to tell me what to do _or_ the both of you completely underestimating me. I graduated too. I have a book. _I_ do not have to work with the team. And, really, if you all think I’m too weak to be in the field why should I?”

Okay, this was spiraling way out of control. Now she was thinking of leaving the team? Of leaving _him_? So maybe he should have actually heard Vivien when she told him Cassandra had given her permission and maybe he should realize by now that Cassandra is stronger than any of them know. But he wasn’t _trying_ to hold her back. He just wanted…

“I’m just trying to keep you safe, Cassandra,” he said softly he leaned forward in his seat and placed his elbows on his knees. “We’ve got time now. You’ve got time. But if Morgan gets a hold of you or Vivien decides to take control that time is gone. _You’re_ gone. We just found each other. There’s no way I’m going to lose you. Not for a very long time.” He stood up then and stood in the path of her pacing. “We just started whatever this is and I want to keep it going. I want to keep you around. What you’re facing now--whatever this is…I can’t fight it for you or with you even. I can’t see it. I can’t protect you from it. I’m helpless. And I _hate_ being helpless. Especially when it comes to protecting the people that I lo—that I care about.”

That’s when she finally noticed how tense he was. His hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were white and the way he was standing in front of her was too… _stiff_. Too straight. Like if he didn’t stand up straight he’d fall over. Her glare immediately softened as the worried and upset image of him clicked in her brain. Oh her poor Jacob, she thought as her eyes began to water and she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. She slowly approached him and took his fisted hands in hers. She brought one hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles. She felt his fists relax in her hands as she did so and then released his hands to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I care about you too,” she told him softly as she met his eyes. “But if I’m going to be here then I want to be an equal. And I know you worry about me. I know everyone worries about me. But I’m not as fragile as people think. I know the risks of having Vivien in my head and it scares me too, but it’s worth it if it allows us to save the world on more than one occasion. I appreciate that you want to have me around for a very long time, Jacob Stone. I’d like that too. But keeping me at the Annex is wasting my skills and my time.”

“I know,” He agreed in hoarse voice. “I just wish I could do something about… _any of this_. You don’t deserve to have to worry about Vivien or any of the other things you face because of _this,”_ he said as he brought his hands up and gently grazed his thumbs over her temples. “I want to help you fight it.”

She smiled warmly at him. “You do help. You help by just being here. I’ve never really had that. I’ve never had that one steady person who sticks with you no matter what. Having _that_ after all these years…having _you_. It helps. It helps more than you know.”

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and then smiled apologetically at her. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so overprotective.”

“I’m sorry too,” she told him. “I would never leave. I shouldn’t threaten you with it. That was a low blow.”

“Yeah, that kinda hurt,” he admitted.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she leaned in to place a quick gentle kiss on his lips. “I won’t do it again. I hated it the minute I said it.”

“Well, just remember that if you ever actually do leave…I’m following you,” he told her honestly. “You’re stuck with me now, Cassie. You know that, right?”

She nodded and kissed him again. “Ditto.”


	4. Act 03: The Lead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has actually been sitting on my computer for a while and I forgot to post it. So here it is! Enjoy!

 

After Flynn and Eve left through the Back Door, Jenkins tracked down Ezekiel and Natsuki. He gave Natsuki the Ring of Dispell and then advised them to find Jacob and Cassandra to assist them with research on The Pipes of Pan. The signs of natural disasters confirmed which artifact they were looking for. They quickly put away their information and ran through the stacks toward where Jacob and Cassandra would be.

They found them hard at work. The tension that was between them had faded and Cassandra was currently marking exes on a topography map while looked at weather maps on her laptop. She spun invisible calculations in the air while Jacob read up on the mythology of the Pipes. He had pulled the journals of The Librarian who had originally obtained the Pipes to figure out how he’d managed to do it and what the effects of them were.

“Jenkins said Flynn and Colonel Baird are out tracking down a lead,” Ezekiel said as they caught up with the other two.

“A lead?” Jacob asked. “From where?”

“The big Clippings Book,” Ezekiel answered.

“Ah! Got it!” Cassie said excitedly as she tapped the air. “The next storm will be…” she paused and then marked a red x on the topography map. “Here.”

Natsuki stepped up next to her and leaned over her shoulder. “Tallahassee? But Jenkins said Baird and Flynn went to Georgia. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Cassandra said archly as she gave Natsuki a flat look. “I’m always sure.”

Natsuki’s brows rose and she nodded apologetically. “Right, okay. Good to know.”

“Yeah, never question Cassandra and math,” Ezekiel advised her with a grin. “She’s Math Girl.”

“Jones,” Cassandra said with a huff.

“Also, she doesn’t like being called Math Girl,” he added with a chuckle.

“Which means you call her that all the time?” Natsuki asked him.

“Of course.”

“Got anything on how to use the Pipes?” Natsuki asked Jacob.

“I think so,” Jacob admitted. “But there’s a bit of Greek here I’m not sure how to translate. It has multiple meanings.”

“Maybe the previous Librarian was able to translate it?” Cassandra asked as she left her maps to pick up the journal and hand it to him.

He had bookmarked the entry about the Pipes and opened up to it. “I haven’t even glanced at this yet.” He scanned through the entry and nodded. “Okay, so we are definitely looking at the Pipes of Pan here. He’s describing the same occurrences—“ Jacob abruptly stopped reading and grabbed Cassandra’s notebook off the table. She opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again as he started scribbling. She gave him a small glare and then crossed her arms in a pout. He didn’t notice as he finished writing and then spoke to the group. “According to the previous Librarian, in order to undo the control over the animals we have to get the Pipes and play _those_ notes.”

He handed the notebook to Cassandra and she took it from him with a sigh.

“What?” He asked cluelessly.

Her pouty expression melted into an amused smile and she chuckled briefly before patting his cheek. “Nothing.”

“You know you two are totally obvious, right?” Natsuki asked the couple with a smirk.

Cassandra looked alarmed and glanced over at her. “What?”

Ezekiel laughed and then grinned at them while shaking his head.

“This,” Natsuki said as she pointed between Jacob and Cassandra. “It’s very _not_ subtle.”

“Jones,” Jacob said with a huff. “What did you tell her?”

Ezekiel held his hands up and gave them an innocent smile. “I said nothing. I promise.”

“Wait,” Cassandra said with a furrowed brow. “How does _he_ know?” She asked Jacob.

Jacob blushed bashfully and then rubbed the back of his neck. “He may have seen me looking after you after Vivien…left.”

“And then there was the casual way he called you ‘sweetheart’. He’s never done that before,” Ezekiel added. “That gave it away before the kiss to the forehead, mate.”

Jacob looked surprised and then thoughtful as he tried to remember and then gave Cassandra a sheepish smile. “My fault.”

Cassandra couldn’t help but to smile affectionately at him and then kiss his cheek. “Well, I can hardly blame you for that.” She then turned an urgent expression on Ezekiel. “Does everyone else know?”

“Baird and Jenkins, probably. Flynn wasn’t here and he’s oblivious so I’d say he’s clueless,” Ezekiel told her.

Cassandra sighed. “Well, that’s going to be a fun conversation to have with Colonel Baird.”

“What? What’s she gonna say?” Natsuki asked. “It’s not like she’s not sleeping with her Librarian anyway.”

All three of the Junior Librarians turned to give her awkward glances.

“Um, we don’t talk about that,” Jacob said with a grimace. “It’s like…”

“Thinking about your parents…or your aunt and uncle or something,” Cassandra said as she finished his sentence. She wrinkled her nose up in slight disgust as she continued. “I mean sometimes they’re adorable, but I don’t want to think about it beyond that.”

“I know enough about women as uptight as Baird to know I really don’t want to know how she…decompresses,” Ezekiel said with a shudder.

Natsuki laughed at the three of them. “Aw, you’re all adorable. But for your sakes, I’ll never bring it up again.”

“That’s all we ask,” Ezekiel said as he tried to shake the images away with another shudder. “ _Please_ let’s get back to the case.”

“What was the clue the Clippings Book gave Baird and Flynn?” Jacob asked Ezekiel.

“No idea. Jenkins didn’t say. He just said they were headed to Georgia,” Ezekiel told him. Suddenly their mini clippings books all alerted them to a new page as if in response to Jacob’s question.

Natsuki leaned over Ezekiel’s shoulder to get a look at his. “Is that a flyer for a circus?”

“Yes, it is,” Ezekiel said as he pulled out his phone and did a quick search for the name of the Circus. “Last stop was in this town in Georgia, however, as of yesterday they arrived in Tallahassee,” he stopped and grinned at Cassandra. “Good call, kid.”

“So, they went to the town instead of the circus,” Cassandra said with a nod. Her laptop suddenly chimed and she turned to glance at the alert on the screen. “We’ve got twenty minutes till that storm hits Tallahassee. That’s not enough time to find Flynn and Colonel Baird _and_ track down the Pipes. I mean who knows where the Pipes are in that circus. Anyone could have them.”

“Then we go and we leave a message with Jenkins,” Natsuki said with a decisive nod. “We have the location, we have the solution. They can catch up.”

Jacob quirked a brow at her. “Yeah, you don’t know, Baird. She’d _hate_ that.”

“Well, then you all go find her because I’m not wasting any more time,” Natsuki said with a huff as she held out her hand for Cassandra’s notebook. “I’ve got the Ring of Dispell, I’ll go on ahead and get started. You guys can follow when you’ve found The Librarian and The Guardian.”

Cassandra gripped the notebook tighter. “You can’t go on your own.”

“My sister is out there under some sort of spell. I’m not going to wait while whoever this is possibly gets away under cover of that storm,” she told them. “The storm comes after right?” She asked. Cassandra bit her bottom lip and nodded hesitantly. “I refuse to let them get away. So, you guys wait for Colonel Baird. I don’t work for the Library so I’m under no obligation to follow orders.”

Natsuki turned and gave Ezekiel a hopeful look to see if he’d help her convince them when he said nothing she sighed and then turned to leave without the notebook.

“Wait,” Ezekiel called after her. “I’m usually the first to be impulsive and break the rules, but we need to be smart about this,” he told her as he briefly gave Cassandra an Stone an awkward glance. “We don’t know what’s waiting at that circus. You shouldn’t go alone.”

“She’s my sister, Ezekiel,” Natsuki said as she gave him a pleading glance. “I told you earlier, she’s always there for me. Now it’s my turn. I _won’t_ fail her. I have to go and I can’t wait on anyone else.”

“Fine,” he said as he let out a frustrated exhale. “Then I’m going with you.” On his way past Cassie he bumped her lightly as if he’d accidentally misjudged the distance between them and then held up the notebook for Natsuki to see. “And I’ve got the information on how to fix this mess.”

“Hey!” Cassandra yelled indignantly. “That was rude, Ezekiel!”

“Sorry, Kid,” he said with an apologetic grin. “I told her I’d help her see the big picture and I plan to follow through. You’re welcome to tag along!”

Ezekiel caught up with Natsuki and then they both sprinted off toward the door to the Annex. After a moment of silence Jacob gave Cassandra a knowing look.

“You want to follow them, don’t you?” He asked with a sigh.

“They’ll never find it in time on their own,” Cassandra said as she turned to face him with an eager pleading expression. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he groaned in frustration.

“Fine,” he said. “But if Baird asks, I’m blaming you and him. I tried to stop all of you, clear?”

She beamed at him and then called over her shoulder as she followed Natsuki and Ezekiel. “Clear!”

His shoulders sagged as he trudged after the three of them. Why did he let them drag him into these things?

* * *

 

Ezekiel and Natsuki rushed in from the Library and were quickly followed by Cassandra and Jacob. Jenkins watched in a daze as Ezekiel dialed up the door and then all four of them ran through it. No one stopped to say a word to him and it happened in a matter of seconds. Finally, the door opened again and Cassandra peeked her head through.

“Oh! Mr. Jenkins! When Baird and Flynn get back, tell them the Pipes are in Tallahasse and to meet us there, will you? Thanks so much!”

And then she was gone again.

Oh, the Colonel was not going to like this.

 


	5. Act 04: The Piper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake, Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Natsuki find the Piper and Sakura.

 

“Okay,” Jacob said as Cassie stepped through the door. “Now what do we do?”

“We split up,” Natsuki suggested. “We should split the site down the middle. That’s what Sakura and I do when we locate a nogistune.” She took the notebook from Ezekiel and handed it back to Cassandra along with her pen. “Write down another copy of the notes, please. We’ll take a copy and head North. You guys take the notebook and head south.”

“The wind is starting to pick up,” Cassandra said as she quickly wrote out the notes Jacob had copied down. “We need to hurry. The storm’s almost here.”

“Call us if you find the Pipes,” Jacob told Ezekiel.

“Same to you,” Ezekiel said with a nod.

“Be careful, guys,” Cassandra said with a nervous glance around the group. “We don’t know who has the Pipes or what they’re capable of.”

“Lucky for us, whoever’s got them doesn’t know what _I’m_ capable of,” Natsuki said with a vengeful expression as Cassandra handed her the notes. "Good luck,” she said as she grabbed Ezekiel by the hood of his jacket and headed north.

“This is creepy,” Ezekiel said as she released his jacket and they continued to walk. He glanced around the circus grounds and found no one. It was completely empty. “Where are all the people? There are tents and trailers all over this place but not a single person.”

“Whoever this is cleared everyone out,” Natsuki said with a nod. “It’s a trap.”

“And we’re okay with walking right into it?” Ezekiel asked her.

“If we’re prepared for a trap then it’s fine,” she told him dismissively. “It’s when you walk into one and you’re caught unawares that there’s trouble.”

“If you say so,” Ezekiel said with a quirked brow.

“Trust me,” Natsuki told him as she turned and gave him a reassuring smile. “My sister and I are experts at walking into traps and setting them too for that matter.”

Ezekiel blinked at her and gently grabbed her arm to stop her. “Right, but your sister is currently working for our bad guy. Isn’t that a problem?”

She froze and then winced. “I was trying not to think about that. Thanks.” She sighed and then started forward again. “Stay close and keep an eye out for snares or booby traps.”

“Never had any intention of drifting too far from the shapeshifting trickster goddess. I’m well aware I’m better off glued to your side,” Ezekiel told her with a smirk. “Not a bad spot to be in, honestly.”

She turned and grinned at him. “Are you trying to flirt with me, Jones?”

“Maybe. Would you mind if I were?” He asked her with a mischievous expression.

“As long as you know that’s as far as it can go,” she told him with a grin. She winked at him before she continued. “I’m a bit too old for you.”

He shrugged and shook his head. “Age is nothing but a number. It doesn’t bother me.”

Natsuki chuckled but didn’t respond. She walked ahead of him and kept an eye out for anything suspicious. It may have sounded like she was joking earlier, but she wasn’t. Flirting was as far as anything could go. It may not bother him now, but it would eventually when he was aging and she wasn’t. Besides, she refused to follow the example her sisters had left for her. She refused to have their weakness. It was a story many of her sisters had been a part of and a cliché of their kind. Men and love were their weaknesses. She had too much good she wanted to do in the world for that to get in her way.

Ezekiel stopped and then gently reached out to tug on Natsuki’s wrist. “Do you hear that? The music?”

She shook away her thoughts to listen. She had keen ears and she could make out which direction it was coming from. “Yes, this way.” She motioned Ezekiel to follow her as they turned and walked toward the music. She was on the look out for any one or anything that looked out of place as they walked. This was too easy. It had her on edge.

* * *

 

“What do you think of her?” Cassandra asked Jacob as they walked in the opposite direction.

“Who?” He asked.

She gave him a pointed look. “Who? Really, Jacob?”

“Natsuki?” He asked as kept an eye on their surroundings.

“Yes, Natsuki,” she answered. “I like her.”

“You like everyone,” Jacob said with a chuckle.

“That’s not true,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t like Dulaque or Morgan le Fey.”

“Okay, you like everyone who’s not a homicidal sociopath. Better?” Jacob asked her with a grin.

“Much, thank you,” Cassandra said with a playful grin. “But seriously, what do you think?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really know her. She seems tough enough to work with us. She’s determined. But she’s got a bit of an attitude problem and doesn’t exactly seem like a team player. I don’t know that I’d want to work with her all the time like Sakura does but for now it’s fine.”

“Ezekiel seems to like her,” Cassandra told him with a small smile.

“That doesn’t exactly work in her favor,” Jacob told her. “Not with me anyway.”

“Should there be people milling around out here?” Cassandra asked as they passed an empty trailer that should have belonged to a performer. “We’re backstage and Circuses require a lot of people. This place is deserted. It’s strange.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. “We’re walking into a trap. Whoever’s got Sakura and the Pipe knows we’re close.”

“Should we warn Natsuki and Ezekiel?” Cassandra asked as she started to pull out her phone.

“No,” Stone said as he put a hand over hers as she started to dial. “Both Jones and Natsuki are strategists. They’ll know a trap when they see one.”

Cassandra’s eyes squinted and her brow furrowed as she turned her head to the left. “I can’t tell if I actually hear music or if I’m having an episode.”

Jacob stopped and turned to face the direction she was looking in. He could hear it too. It was faint, but he could hear it. “No, that’s music. Definitely music.”

“The Pipes?” She asked worriedly.

“Could be. Either way it’s a sign of life. First of those we’ve seen since we got here. We have to check it out,” he said as he motioned for her to follow him.

* * *

 

The four of them reached the source of the music at the same time. It was the big top tent. No one liked that coincidence very much.

“You guys heard the music too?” Ezekiel asked Cassandra and Jacob as they approached.

When they nodded Natsuki sighed. “This is definitely a trap.”

They stood and stared at the entrance for several moments before Natsuki took a deep breath and turned to face the others. She pointed to Jacob as she spoke. “You look like you know how to fight.”

“You could say that,” he said with a smirk.

“Good. You and I are going in first,” she told him. “Ezekiel and Cassandra will stay in the entrance until we’ve scoped out whatever is in there. Stay out of sight. Got it?”

“We can help,” Cassandra said with a huff.

Natsuki smiled at her and nodded. “I know and you will. We just need to know what’s in there first so we can make a _real_ plan. Trust me. I’m not leaving you out, Cassandra.”

“You realize this trap is most likely set for you,” Jacob told Natsuki with a worried glance.

“I’m well aware,” she told him. “Which is why you’re my back up. Can you stay out of sight unless I need you? We need them to think I’m alone as long as we can pull it off.”

“You sure you’re up for this?” Ezekiel asked her. “One of that ‘them’ you’re talking about is your sister.”

“I have no choice, Ezekiel,” she said with a sigh. “I have to be up for this. There’s no other option. I’m going in first.” She paused awkward and then glanced at the three of them in hesitation. “This might be a little weird.”

“What?” Cassandra asked her with a furrowed brow.

“This,” Natsuki said before she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to change. Ezekiel had seen it before so he wasn’t shocked, but Cassandra and Stone watched with wide eyes and awed faces. A minute later, a wolf sized fox with several tails sat in front of them.

“Why would that be weird?” Cassandra asked as she feigned calm. “That’s not weird at all.”

The fox blinked at Cassandra for a long moment as if she didn’t believe her and then turned and slinked into the tent silently. Jake followed after her and then ducked behind the stands just inside the door to stay out of sight. He tried to locate Natsuki but he couldn’t find her fox form anywhere. He could, however, see a scrawny kid sitting in a gaudy wooden throne at the far end of the tent with a nine tailed fox sitting at his feet. That fox had more tails and was about a foot larger than Natsuki. That had to be Sakura. Surrounding them both were various other animals. He could see a tiger, a lion, a goat, a donkey, two elephants, a giant black bear, several black poodles, and a large group of very domestic looking dogs.

And in the man’s hand were the Pipes.

All those animals were between them and the Pipes. They’d been in more than a few tough spots but they’d never had to fight a small army of deadly animals. The elephants suddenly reared up and made panicked noises which riled all the other animals. Jacob thought he saw the briefest flash of movement by one of the elephants before they both charged for the opposite entrance from him. The lion was unable to resist a moving target and followed after them. The man on the throne cursed and played a series of notes before motioning for the bear and the tiger to follow them. Presumably to bring them back.

The next moment Jacob felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He jumped and turned to face Natsuki, in her human form, motioning him to the exit.

They reached outside and she and Jacob pulled Ezekiel and Cassandra further around the other side of the tent to ensure they stayed out of sight.

“Did you do that?” Jacob asked her with a smirk.

She chuckled and nodded. “No way I was sending all of us in there with 2 elephants, 2 large cats, and a bear. I had to spook them. That pipe can’t keep them from serving their instincts.”

“That’s what that shaking was?” Cassandra asked. “There were elephants in there?”

She nodded. “And they’ll be back as soon as the tiger and the bear can herd them back here. We need to get that Pipe now.”

“How?” Jacob asked her. “The guy won’t let go of it.”

“We have a master thief,” Natsuki said as she motioned to Ezekiel. “We’ll let him worry about that. We need to keep the animals distracted so he can snatch it. I’ll take on Sakura. I can lure her away. I have no doubt,” she told them. “Does anybody know how to play those notes on the Pipes?”

“I played flute in school,” Cassandra admitted. “Music extra curriculars look good on college applications. It can’t be that different, can it?”

“Let’s hope not,” Jacob told her with a small grin. “You’re the best chance we’ve got.”

“Okay, Ezekiel gets the Pipes and brings them to Cassandra. Stone and Cassandra and myself will take on the animals,” Natsuki said with a thoughtful nod.

“What animals are left in there?” Cassandra asked curiously.

“A donkey, a goat, and a whole mess of dogs,” Jacob told her.

“There’s a goat?” She asked excitedly. “I love goats!”

“Yeah, I don’t think you’ll like them so much when they run at you at full speed with their head down,” Natsuki told her. “It _hurts_. And donkeys will _bite_. Their hooves aren’t exactly soft either. But it could be worse. Shout if you need help. Any of you. Okay?”

They all nodded and Natsuki turned to Ezekiel. “There's room around the back of the stands to sneak up to the platform where the throne is without being seen. It’s getting close enough to our piper to grab those pipes that’s going to be the challenge.”

“Not for me,” Ezekiel said with a confident grin. “I got this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay! Next chapter is the big showdown! Hopefully it won't take me as long to write as this chapter did! I was lacking inspiration for Librarians fics for a little while there but I think my muse is back! Enjoy! Happy reading!


	6. Act 05: Three Ring Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Librarians facedown the Piper and Sakura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next act! Hope you guys like it! 
> 
> angellwings
> 
> PS - I got a Librarians tattoo tonight! It's small but I like it. If you follow me on Twitter or tumblr I'll post a picture tomorrow (after it's had a night to be wrapped and heal a bit more.)

 

“I need to get Sakura away from him,” Natsuki said as she peered inside the tent and then turned to face Ezekiel. “If she’s at his feet you’ll never get near the Pipes. I’m going in first. Then Ezekiel.” She pointed to Cassandra and Jake. “You two be careful. Eve will murder me, immortal or not, if you end up maimed by a goat or something.”

Before any one could say anything else Natsuki took a deep breath and marched into the tent without transforming. Right through the center.

“Well, she’s fearless,” Cassandra said with an impressed grin.

“A little too fearless,” Jacob said with a furrowed brow.

“She’s not fearless,” Ezekiel told them. “Trust me on that.” He ducked into the tent and slipped under the stands where Jacob had hidden from sight earlier.

He watched from in between each row in the stands while he moved through the old wooden frame quickly and quietly. The other animals in the big top froze and watched her as she walked, but none moved toward her. The Piper smirked at her and Sakura’s fox form paced at his feet, waiting for her turn to strike.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” the Piper said with a grin. “Your sister told me all about you, Tsuki.”

Natsuki growled and glared at him. “You don’t call me that. Only people I like are allowed to call me that.”

The Piper looked to be close to Ezekiel’s age. He was tall and lanky and had a grin that made Ezekiel grimace involuntarily. He didn’t _look_ creepy but he had a distinct creepy vibe that couldn’t be explained.

“You don’t like me? Well, I suppose we’ll have to fix that. Won’t we?” He asked her with a chuckle as he brought the Pipes to his lips.

Here’s where they found out if the Ring of Dispel worked. The noise was light and hollow but not at all unpleasant. Natsuki rolled her eyes and stood defiantly in front of the Piper’s throne.

“You know, using a magical object to force people to like you is kind of cheating,” Natsuki said with a smirk.

His brow furrowed at her and then the Piper glared angrily. “Not possible!” He turned to the fox at his feet and then pointed at Natsuki. “Take her out!”

Sakura’s fox form leapt from the platform and landed gently on her feet in front of Natsuki.

“Sakura,” Natsuki said pleadingly. “We don’t have to do this. Snap out of it. Please.”

It wouldn’t work. Ezekiel knew it wouldn’t work. Natsuki knew it wouldn’t work. But she couldn’t keep herself from trying. Sakura suddenly pounced at Natsuki with her teeth bared and in a blur of motion Natsuki transformed. That was the quickest he’d seen her transform. Now there were two large foxes chasing each other and snarling and pouncing and rolling all over the tent. They were bounding from one side of the room to the other and climbing up and down the stands. It was a flurry of movement that he could barely keep up with.

He reached the end of the stands and the platform was a few feet away from him. But so were the other animals. Suddenly there was a loud commotion from the entrance they’d come in. He couldn’t see any one but he assumed it was caused by Jacob or Cassandra. The Piper motioned to the goat and the donkey and they bounded toward the entrance. There was another noise from the other side and then the dogs were sent away.

If only he would put the Pipes down. The Piper held them tightly in his hand. Ezekiel knew he wouldn’t set them down. He loved them too much to let them out of his sight. Ezekiel had one choice. Take him out. Ezekiel jumped out from the stands. He tackled the Piper to the ground, who stared at him with wide fearful eyes.

“How ya doing?” Ezekiel asked with a smirk before he bashed the Piper’s hand into the platform and the Pipes fell loose. Ezekiel scrambled to grab them but the Piper pulled him away. Ezekiel turned and punched the Piper across the face. That was the first time he’d actually punched anyone.

Damn, did it hurt. The Piper tried to grab at Ezekiel but he kicked him away and snatched up the Pipes. Now to find Cassandra. He jumped off the platform and raced through the open center of the big top tent. As he passed the two foxes he saw one turn and jump at him. He froze and couldn’t seem to make his feet move. There was a huge fox trying to pounce on him with claws and teeth bared. Why couldn’t he move? He was Ezekiel Jones. The one thing he did best was run.

Just as the fox, that he assumed was Sakura reached him, Natsuki came out of no where. Natsuki’s fox form blocked Sakura’s teeth from sinking into Ezekiel with her own body. She yelped and both foxes fell to the ground. The sound of the strangled yelp suddenly brought Ezekiel back to reality and he bolted for the entrance where he’d left Cassandra and Stone. He found Cassandra under the stands with a goat and donkey tangled in the wooden rafters. The goat was caught by his horns and the donkey’s gangly legs were trapped several places.

“Sorry! Sorry!” he heard Cassandra saying sympathetically. “I’ll get you out when this is all over I promise.”

He smirked at little at that. Even when they were attacking her she cared about animals. What else did he expect, really?

“Cassandra!” Ezekiel called as he went into the stands after her. “Here!” He tossed the pipes and she caught them easily.

Cassandra hurried out from under the stands with Ezekiel. They came out just in time to see Natsuki in her human form hunched over slightly and racing toward Jake who was being surrounded by angry snarling dogs. She transformed mid jump and skid to a stop in front of Jacob, who appeared to be bleeding in more than a few places. She made a high pitched noise that nearly sounded like a cackle and then knocked the dogs away. Taking the brunt of the attacks herself.

“Oh god,” Cassandra said worriedly as she caught sight of the chaos.

“Focus, Cassandra,” Ezekiel said as he swallowed his own panic. “The sooner you play those notes, the sooner this is all over.”

She nodded and took a good look at the Pipes. Ezekiel glanced around the room. He kept an eye out for anyone who might come after Cassandra. The Piper was still knocked out on the stage.

The dogs suddenly split up and half of them began to race toward Ezekiel and Cassandra. Natsuki and Jacob were still weakly fighting off the rest of them. Cassandra gingerly played each end of the pipe to try and place the notes. It felt as if it were taking her an eternity, but he knew it wasn’t. The dogs were too close for his comfort. Just as he thought they were done for two figures appeared in front of him.

“Seriously? You’re being attacked by a pack of _neighborhood dogs_?” one of them asked with a huff. “This guy couldn’t find anything more terrifying than that?”

He recognized that huff.

“Colonel Baird!” Ezekiel shouted in relief.

“I don’t know, Eve, they seem pretty terrifying to me,” Flynn said as he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around his arm.

Just as the dogs reached them Cassandra played the notes. She played them loud and long and as soon as it was done everything seemed to stop. The dogs stopped mid-stride and Sakura cowered and whined as she attempted to cover her ears with her paws.

Ezekiel’s shoulders relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Jacob!” Cassandra immediately exclaimed as she shoved the Pipes into Flynn’s hands and sprinted across the tent. By the time Ezekiel reached Jacob and Natsuki Sakura was already there supporting her sister and fussing over her.

“You’re bleeding,” Sakura exclaimed as she tried to examine Natsuki’s injuries.

Natsuki chuckled at her and shook her head. “So are you.”

“I didn’t expect you to put up such a strong fight!” Sakura said she touched the gash on her own side and winced.

Natsuki feigned offence and then laughed. “Gee, thank you, sister. Your confidence is really astounding.”

“No, not because—Oh you know what I mean,” Sakura said as she dismissed her own wounds quickly and then lifted Natsuki’s shirt. “I can’t believe you jumped in front of the kid like that. I can’t believe I bit you. Oh god, Tsuki, I’m—I’m so sorry.”

Ezekiel felt the need to look away and give them a moment as Sakura seemed to dissolve into tears.

“Hey,” Natsuki said softly. “You weren’t in control, okay? It wasn’t you.” Her voice was soothing as he walked away toward Jacob and Cassandra. He felt for both of them. They were forced to fight the only family they had. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if someone forced him to fight _his_ team. He’d never forgive himself.

“Could have been worse,” Stone told Cassandra as she caressed a large cut on his face and looked at him with concern. “If Natsuki hadn’t jumped in it _would_ have been worse,” he admitted.

“Now that’s what I call a dog fight, mate,” Ezekiel said with a smirk as he tried to break the tension. “Maybe you’ll walk away with a few wicked looking scars.”

“You think?” Jacob asked with a grin.

“Seriously?” Cassandra asked them both in disbelief.

“Scars give a guy something to brag about, darlin’,” Jacob told her with a chuckle and a wink.

“And they’re great ice breakers when you’re trying to hit it off with a woman,” Ezekiel added with a wide grin. “Women like a man with a look of danger.”

“Is that so?” Cassandra asked Jacob pointedly.

He ducked his head and cleared his throat. “I, um, you know, I think I maybe heard something about that.”

“You four are in big trouble, you know that right?” Eve asked sternly as she and Flynn joined the group. “You should have waited for us.”

“The storm was closing in,” Cassandra told her. “There was no time.”

“You could have all been killed,” she told them.

“No way,” Ezekiel said with a smirk as he turned to glance quickly at Natsuki and Sakura. “Natsuki had our backs. You should have seen her in action. It was pretty impressive.”

Natsuki smiled softly at him and nodded. “Thanks.” She shrugged and then winced at how it must have jostled one of her wounds. “It was nothing, though, really. This was my fight. I couldn’t let anything happen to you guys.”

Sakura sighed as Natsuki took a deep breath and then winced again.

“We need to get you back to The Library and dress those wounds,” Sakura said sternly. “Where’s the Door?” She looked up and gave the group an expectant look. Her tone was clipped and terse. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

“Of course,” Flynn said in a soft patient tone. “I’ll show you. Follow me, ladies.”

The group watched Flynn, Natsuki, and Sakura leave the tent. They waited until they were certain the two women were out of earshot before they spoke again.

“Don’t be too hard on her, Colonel,” Cassandra said as she wrapped an arm around Jacob and let him lean on her slightly. He must have hurt his ankle during the fight. “She was doing what she felt she had to.”

“And,” Jacob added with a nod. “She kept me from getting sliced and diced. Most of those wounds she had were a result of protecting me.”

“And me,” Ezekiel said with a worried sigh. “That bite you saw on her stomach? She got it protecting me from Sakura.”

“You guys trust her?” Eve asked them curiously. She quirked a surprised eyebrow at them as they all nodded.

“For the most part,” Jacob clarified. “I, at least, trust her to watch my back in a fight. That’s as good a place to start as any.”

There was a groan from the platform and Ezekiel rolled his eyes. “Our Piper finally awakes. Perfect timing.”

Eve turned to look at the kid that was slowly sitting up. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Of course it’s a kid. A severely creepy looking kid.”

“What do we do with him?” Cassandra asked. “We can’t just let him get away with this.”

“He won’t,” Eve told them. “I’ve already alerted the authorities. Told them someone had attempted to snatch animals from the circus and surrounding neighborhoods. They’re on their way to pick him up.” She motioned to Jacob’s bloody state and then the entrance to the tent. “You guys go, I’ll make sure the kid stays put and then catch up. I want to have a little talk with this guy anyway.”

Eve left them and walked toward the platform. She sat down next the Piper and pulled him back down when he tried to stand up and walk away. He said something they couldn’t hear and glared at her. She yawned and gave him an unimpressed glance in return.

Ezekiel laughed at the scene in front of him before turning back to Jacob and Cassandra. “She’ll be fine. Let’s go home.”

“Ready when you are,” Cassandra told them both as she waited for Jacob to adjust his weight so they could walk.

“One things for sure,” Jacob said as the three of them began to walk. “I will never attend the circus ever again.”

“I’d never been to the Circus before today and I can’t say I’m eager to come back,” Cassandra agreed. “And I will definitely never look at a goat the same way ever again.”

Ezekiel chuckled as she shuddered slightly and winced.

He’d count this case as a success. Everyone was in one piece, give or take a scrape or two, and they retrieved the artifact. Not to mention stopped an insane storm from happening as a result of a magical artifact and released a former Guardian from an enchantment. Any day Team Library stays in tact and saves the world is a truly great day.


	7. Act 06: Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang returns to the Annex to dress their wounds and discuss the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter before this one is complete! After this I'm taking a break from Possibilities to finish several of my other Works in Progress. I have too much going on right now and I need to slim my WIP list down a little.
> 
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

 

When they made it back to the Annex, Sakura was busily stitching up the bite on Natsuki’s stomach. Ezekiel winced at the sight of the blood and the gash and quickly headed to the other side of the table.

“You have a few serious scratches yourself, you know,” Natsuki said with a grimace as Sakura continued to stitch.

“Yes, you managed to get a few good licks in, didn’t you?” Sakura asked with a proud grin.

Natsuki tilted her head to the left for a quick moment instead of shrugging and then grinned. “All that sparring we do had to come in handy sometime.”

Jenkins was hovering and watching Sakura closely as if he knew there was something else coming. Once again, Ezekiel wondered just how well those two knew each other. He also still had questions about which Librarian Sakura guarded and why it hadn’t come up last time they’d met her.

She finished Natsuki’s stitches and Natsuki gingerly stood from the table. “Your turn.” Natsuki reached to take the supplies from her but Jenkins shook his head and sighed.

“You are in no condition to tend to anyone else, young lady,” Jenkins told her as he took the supplies from Sakura to keep them away from Natsuki. “Sit. Rest. I will take care of the Lady Sakura.” Jenkins gave Ezekiel an amused glance before he continued. “And I think we should take this into my lab. Mr. Jones appears to be slightly squeamish.”

“What?” He asked in surprise. “No. I’m not—I mean you don’t have to move just because I—“

Jacob laughed and shook his head at the younger man. “Give it up, Jones. We all saw your reaction when we walked in.”

Natsuki smirked at him as Ezekiel walked around the table to sit in the chair next her. “It’s okay, kid,” she said with a chuckle. “A needle sewing skin together isn’t exactly something most people like to see.”

“You took a pretty big blow for me,” Ezekiel told her.

“Yeah, well, you froze,” she said with a teasing smirk. “What choice did I have?”

“I didn’t freeze!” He said with an embarrassed blush.

“Yeah, you did. Like a little started deer,” she said with a soft laugh. She smiled affectionately at him. “Don’t worry though, it was kind of cute.” She turned to look at Jacob who was leaning carefully against the table. “How are your injuries? Anything serious?”

“Small cuts, a few scrapes, some bruised knuckles. I turned my ankle trying to climb the stands,” he said as he touched a cut above his eyebrow. “Lots of blood, but minor injuries. Looks worse than it actually is.”

“Anything deep?” She asked. Natsuki looked at Cassandra more than Jacob when she asked. She knew Cassandra had gotten a better look at his injuries than Jacob had.

“No,” Cassandra answered. “Everything is mercifully shallow, and no bites. Just scratches.”

“Good,” Natsuki said with a nod. She looked at both Ezekiel and Cassandra before she spoke again. “And you two?”

“Bruises from the Piper guy and my hand hurts like hell. He was scrawny but scrappy. No one warned me how much punching a guy hurts. I’ve got nothing like the two of you though,” Ezekiel answered as he shook his hand and made a fist to try and work out the soreness.

Cassandra nodded in agreement. “Got the edge of a hoof once, but nothing more than that.”

“Let me see,” Natsuki said worriedly as she took the hand Ezekiel had fisted and examined it. He gulped nervously and felt his mouth go dry as both of her hands held his hurt one and she ran her thumbs gently across his knuckles. “No swelling,” she told him as she released his hand. “No broken bones as best I can tell. If you ice it you’ll be fine. Thankfully,” she met his eyes and gave him an encouraging smile. “I saw that punch. For a first punch that was pretty solid. Nice work.”

He chuckled and smirked proudly. “Thanks. It’s no surprise, considering how awesome I am.”

Natsuki quirked a brow at him with an amused grin. She chose not to ignore him and not reply with a witty quip. She continued without acknowledging him. “Considering how remarkably whole you three are there’s a chance Colonel Baird won’t murder me too badly,” Natsuki said with nervous sigh. “I may be immortal but that woman is kind of terrifying.”

The three junior Librarians grinned at the truth of her observation. Eve Baird was formidable and intimidating even to the most legendary of figures.

“How’s your sister?” Cassandra asked her.

Natsuki sighed and shook her head. “Hard to say. She hasn’t said much, but judging by how protective she’s been since the fight ended…probably not good. Protective is her panic mode. That’s why Jenkins was hovering. He knows that as well as I do.”

The Back Door swung open and Flynn came in with a small glass case in his hand.

“Natsuki, I will need the Ring of Dispel back, please,” Flynn said as he removed the glass lid and held out the base toward her.

“Right,” she said with a small smile. “Thanks for letting me borrow it.” She took the ring off and then placed it on the platform. “You should have seen the look on the kids face when those Pipes didn’t work on me. Classic.”

“You returned the favor several times over, I think,” Flynn told her with a kind smile as he placed the lid back on the ring. “You kept these three alive and, trust us, we’re well aware of how difficult a job that is.”

“Gee, thanks,” Ezekiel said sarcastically.

“Yeah,” Eve said as the back door opened again and she stepped through from the Circus grounds. “Usually that’s my job. You covered for me pretty well though, I think. You had some moves, Natsuki. Not bad for a shape shifting immortal being.” Eve paused and blinked in surprise at her own words. “First time I’ve ever said all of those words together. Probably not the last though.”

“Thank you,” Natsuki said with a nervous smile. “I kept thinking you’d kill me if I let anything happen to them. That was sufficient motivation.”

Eve smirked. “Good to know. I do have a bone to pick though. With all four of you.” She gave them all a stern glare. “You jumped the gun. You should have waited for back up. We knew too little about that artifact and the person who was using it to jump right in, and you all knew that or else you wouldn’t have felt the need to rush off without myself and Flynn. Just because people keep saying ‘librarians die’ like it’s inevitable doesn’t mean it’s happening on my watch. Got it?”

They all nodded silently and Eve huffed before she repeated herself in a louder tone. She wasn't convinced they heard her.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely.”

“Got what, exactly?”

All eyes turned to glare at Ezekiel before Eve rolled her eyes at him. “Jones,” she said with a bored gaze.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” he said with a smirk. “Back up: good. Dying: bad.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Eve told him with a small grin. She paused for a moment and then continued with a thoughtful gaze focused on Natsuki. “Guys, can I talk to Natsuki alone for a moment?”

They all nodded and dispersed to various areas of the Annex to give Eve and Natsuki a bit of privacy.

Eve sat down in the seat Ezekiel vacated and patted Natsuki’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Really, you don’t have to—“

“No, I do,” Eve told her. “Those three are my family. I would protect them with my life. In fact, it’s my job to protect them with my life. My responsibility. Anyone who would make the same sacrifice for those people has my respect and gratitude. You jumped in front of both Ezekiel and Stone without hesitation. Not everyone would do that.”

“Not everyone would help two people who’d attempted to deceive and lie to them in the past,” Natsuki reminded her. “The first time you met me and my sister we’d kidnapped some poor girl and lied to you. If you could help us then it’s no problem at all for me to help all of you. It was the right thing to do.”

“Right thing or not,” Eve said with a kind smile. “You kept my team alive and I’m grateful.”

“Not necessary. They’re a good team. I was happy to help,” Natsuki replied honestly. “Really, I should thank _you_ for letting me tag along. I’m not exactly easy to work with on my absolute best day. I know that.”

Eve started to say something else but before she could Sakura and Jenkins came back into the room.

“Tsuki,” Sakura said softly. “Can we talk outside?”

Natsuki gave Eve an apologetic look and immediately followed her sister toward the door.

“You and Sakura seem awfully close,” Eve said as she and Jenkins watched the two sisters walk away. “You ever gonna tell me how that happened?”

“Dwelling on the past serves no purpose, Colonel Baird,” Jenkins said simply before he turned and retreated back into his lab.

“I’ll take that as a no then,” Eve called after him with an amused grin.


	8. Tag: The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Natsuki have a talk after everything is finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last part of Call of the Wild! Like I said last chapter after this one I'm taking a bit of break from this series to try and dig myself out of a Work In Progress hole. I want to finish some of my other WIPs before starting the next episode in this series.  
> Happy Reading!  
> angellwings

 

“I’m sorry,” Natsuki said immediately when they reached the yard outside of the Annex.

Sakura gave her a confused glance. “For what? Tsuki, you did nothing wrong.”

“I should have been able to get to you sooner. I should have stopped this from happening to begin with. We should never have split up. Splitting up was my idea and if I hadn’t suggested it—“

Sakura shook her head and held up a hand to interrupt Natsuki. “None of this is your fault. You couldn’t have seen this coming any more than I could have. Sometimes it’s simply a case of wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“You needed me and I couldn’t reach you in time. If the positions were reversed you would have gotten to me soon—“

“Do you have such little faith in your own ability?” Sakura asked her sympathetically. “You cannot possibly think that this is your fault. It’s because of you that I’m standing here now. It’s because of you that two of those Librarians are still alive. You did a commendable thing today, and you did it without me.”

She shook her head. “I did it because I had to. I’m still the screw up he—“

Sakura sighed and interrupted her yet again. “I simply do not understand how you could come to believe that you’re a screw up. You’re young, you’re still learning. You’re _not_ a screw up. You’re capable of so much more than you know, Natsuki. Have I somehow led you to believe that you’re worth less than me? Have I done something to cause this insecurity you’re feeling?”

“No, no of course not!” Natsuki answered. “You’ve been nothing but supportive. You’re always here for me when I need you. It has nothing to do with anything you’ve done.”

“Jenkins told me you seemed so shaken while I was gone. Please, if it’s not anything I’ve done then tell me why,” Sakura said as she placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders and squeezed sympathetically.

“You’re just so good, Sakura,” Natsuki told her honestly with a shaky breath. “I can never be you. I could never live up to anything you’ve done. No matter how hard I try I will never measure up to you. _I can’t._ ”

“Measure up to me?” Sakura asked her in surprise. “You don’t need to. Just be who you are. I don’t want you to be me. I don’t want you to make my mistakes or repeat my life. I want you to have your own. To create your own path in the world and have adventures I’ve never had.” She gave her younger sister a thoughtful and concerned look. “Maybe…maybe we’ve worked together too long.”

“What?” Natsuki asked her with wide eyes. “No. Sakura, that’s not it.”

“No, I think it is. I’ve held onto you for too long. I’ve played mother hen for far too many years. You’re so amazing, Natsuki, but all you see is my shadow. The only way to help you with that is to keep you out of it,” Sakura said honestly with a sad smile. “I love working with you, Tsuki. I really do, but I don’t want to get in the way of your journey. We all have our own destinies, Imouto. I think it’s time you find yours.”

Natsuki took a deep breath and shook her head. “I have no idea where I’m supposed to start looking.”

Sakura hugged her sister and then gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re very intelligent, Tsuki. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“I mean what am I supposed to do now?” Natsuki asked her. “Where do I go from here?” Suddenly a white envelope hit the side of Natuki’s face and fell to the ground. It landed at her feet as she hissed in pain and rubbed her cheek. “What the hell?”

Sakura laughed and glanced in the direction the envelope had come from. There was no one there, just an empty doorway leading back into the Annex. “If it was a snake it would have bitten you. I think that’s for you.”

Natsuki’s brow furrowed as she hesitantly picked up the envelope. She studied the front and found her name written on it in gold ink that seemed to glow very faintly.

“You’re being recruited,” Sakura told her with a smirk. “Looks like your destiny found _you_ , Imouto.”

* * *

 

Jenkins brought out tea from the kitchen for all of them as Jacob, Cassandra, and Ezekiel informed Eve, Flynn and Jenkins of what went on at the circus. They were interrupted by Natsuki storming into the Annex with a white card and envelope in one hand.

“Is this a joke?” Natsuki asked them with a glare. “Because if it is, it’s not a particularly funny one.”

They all stared at the envelope and card in her hand in surprise.

Ezekiel smirked and pointed at it before looking back at the rest of his team. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It wasn’t them, Tsuki,” Sakura told her with an amused grin.

“If it wasn’t them then who was it?” She asked her sister with a furrowed brow.

Everyone in the room pointed up at the Annex’s ceiling and smirked at her knowingly.

“If you received a letter then it was The Library,” Flynn told her.

“The Library?” Natsuki asked. “The building offered me a job?”

“The sentient building offered you a job,” Jenkins said as he corrected her. “Just to clarify.”

Eve stood from the table and walked over to Natsuki. She stood over her shoulder and read the letter in her hand before giving her a look of disbelief.

“You’re the new Guardian,” Eve said with a relieved grin. She glanced up at the ceiling with a bright smile and yelled, “FINALLY! Thank you!” She then turned back to Natsuki. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this place to hire me some help?”

“No way,” Natsuki said as she shook her head. “The Library can’t want me. I’ve never worked with a team before. Just Sakura. And surely you guys would want someone with a little more experience than me. Maybe somebody with military training like you, Colonel Baird. I’m not precise or disciplined and I _hate_ guns. I mean I hate them. This has to be a mistake. Right?”

Cassandra smiled at Natsuki in understanding but shook her head before she answered her. “The Library doesn’t make mistakes. The Library is offering you a job, Natsuki. On purpose.”

“And after today who can blame him?” Jacob asked.

“He?” Ezekiel asked. “You think the Library is a he?”

“You don’t?” Jacob asked in return.

“Never really thought about it, honestly,” Ezekiel said with a furrowed brow. “I guess I could see that.”

“I have to agree with Mr. Stone. You proved yourself today,” Jenkins told Natsuki with a kind smile. “You served these Librarians with capabilities that surpass any expectation. You’re a fighter, Natsuki, and you care about people. Those are the two most important qualifications for an excellent Guardian. Your letter is not a mistake.”

“So, what do you say?” Ezekiel asked her with an eager smile as he stood and walked across the room to join Natsuki and Eve. “Want to help us save the world every week? Twice before Friday?”

“It’s a chance to have your own adventures,” Sakura told her pointedly. “And it’s the most good you’ll ever do in this life. Trust me on that one.”

Natsuki took a deep nervous breath and then nodded with a beaming smile. “Okay, I’m in. Let’s do this.”

“This is history in the making!” Flynn exclaimed as he stood from the table. “This is the first time the Library has employed two Guardians. Wait no, a Guardian and a Junior Guardian?” Flynn asked thoughtfully. “Guardian in Waiting? No, too medieval. Oh! Guardianette?”

Eve rolled her eyes and gave her boyfriend an amused smirk. “Stop trying to add ‘ette’ at the end of everything. It’s never going to work.”

“No,” Jenkins declared confidently. “Guardian Apprentice. Her title should be Guardian Apprentice.”

Eve nodded and smiled warmly at Natsuki. “I like it.” She held out a hand to Natsuki for a shake. “Welcome to the Library, Guardian Apprentice.”

Natsuki stared at the outstretched hand for a long thoughtful moment before she finally accepted it. She’d never once thought she’d get this chance. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, even an _immortal_ lifetime. “Thank you,” she said with a contended sigh. Maybe this could become home. Maybe her family could still grow.

Maybe _this_ was how she’d finally prove herself.


End file.
